A change process for the Tourism Undergraduate Programme of the University of Malta

Success in tourism depends on having tourism practitioners who are well prepared. The ITTC is instrumental in preparing Malta’s tourism practitioners of the future. The ITTC prepares practitioners who will be able to work in tourism, culture and related industries. The Institute for Tourism, Travel and Culture (ITTC) has recently concluded the Periodic Programme Review (PPR) for the tourism studies undergraduate programme. In this brief report, we explain the process. We also highlight some of the main issues that emerged and explain how these were addressed. This report will be presented in a seminar for stakeholders that will be held on 24 January 2020.peer-reviewe

Mid-djarju tat-tarzna

Ġabra ta’ poeżiji u proża li tinkludi: Destin ta’ Charles Coleiro – Uċuħ – Xewqat – Għar Dalam ta’ Ġorġ Borg – Poeżija ta’ Ġorġ Borg – Wirt battal ta’ P. Sciberras – Naf tifel ta’ Ġorġ Borg – Mħabba sewda – Durham 11.5.96 ta’ Joe Friggieri – Data base ta’ P. Sciberras – Ipokrezija ta’ John Buttigieg – Mid-djarju tat-tarzna ta’ P. Sciberras.peer-reviewe

Activation of the Large-Conductance, Voltage, and Ca2+- Activated K+ (BK) Channel in Acute Spinal Cord Injury in the Wistar Rat Is Neuroprotective

Context/Objectives: Spinal cord injury (SCI) results in significant neuronal and glial cell death resulting in impaired neurological and motor function. Uncontrolled Ca2+ entry results in excitotoxicity and cell death. In this study, we examine the use of a BK channel activator, Isopimaric acid (ISO), as a neuroprotective agent post-SCI as this channel is involved in regulating Ca2+ entry.Design:By using a 25-g clip compression at the T6 level, we generated a SCI event in wistar rats. At 1 h post-injury we administered ISO (BK channel activator), the BK channel inhibitor iberiotoxin (IbTx), or a vehicle control for 4 weeks via mini osmotic pump (pump capacity). For 8 weeks post-injury, gait analysis of motor function was performed. At the end of 8 weeks, the extent of myelination in the spinal cord was assessed in addition to the electrophysiological profile.Results:Our immunohistological data suggests that ISO treatment leads to an increase or preservation of myelinated axonal tracts. This was further supported by our electrophysiological studies which demonstrate higher compound action potential amplitudes and speed of transmission in ISO-treated animals compared to inj-non-treated. Finally, treatment with ISO significantly improved motor function in our test model.Conclusion: In conclusion, activation of the BK channel during acute SCI may be a novel therapeutic target for acute SCI

Pariġi

Ġabra ta’ poeżiji u proża li tinkludi: Bir ta’ Achille Mizzi – Tixjin ta’ Achille Mizzi – Arlekkin ta’ Achille Mizzi – Il-fanal ta’ George Zammit – Nida ta’ Ġorġ Borg – Lampara ta’ John Buttigieg – Tema bil-kompjuter ta’ Mario Azzopardi – Ardabjola ta’ Mario Azzopardi – Il-biża’ tal-Griegi ta’ Frans Sammut – Pariġi ta’ Oliver Friggieri.peer-reviewe

Carbon labelling of biofuels in Europe

In the framework of the Carbon Labelling project within the EU Intelligent Energy – Europe (IEE) programme, pilot carbon labelling initiatives were implemented in order to contribute to the reduction of GHG emissions in the European transport sector. Firstly, a supportable methodology for the quantification of carbon lifecycle reductions was identified in co-operation with recent and on-going activities and methodologies. In a second step, the “CO2Star” label was developed and three “CO2Star” labelling initiatives were implemented, namely a biodiesel (B100) and an improved lubricants labelling initiative at Q1 fuel stations in Germany, as well as a labelling initiative of low carbon freight services in The Netherlands. The present paper presents main results of the Carbon Labelling project which was implemented from 2006 to 2008 and give recommendations on the applications of labels in the transport sector.peer-reviewe

Unifying European Biodiversity Informatics (BioUnify)

In order to preserve the variety of life on Earth, we must understand it better. Biodiversity research is at a pivotal point with research projects generating data at an ever increasing rate. Structuring, aggregating, linking and processing these data in a meaningful way is a major challenge. The systematic application of information management and engineering technologies in the study of biodiversity (biodiversity informatics) help transform data to knowledge. However, concerted action is required to be taken by existing e-infrastructures to develop and adopt common standards, provisions for interoperability and avoid overlapping in functionality. This would result in the unification of the currently fragmented landscape that restricts European biodiversity research from reaching its full potential. The overarching goal of this COST Action is to coordinate existing research and capacity building efforts, through a bottom-up trans-disciplinary approach, by unifying biodiversity informatics communities across Europe in order to support the long-term vision of modelling biodiversity on earth. BioUnify will: 1. specify technical requirements, evaluate and improve models for efficient data and workflow storage, sharing and re-use, within and between different biodiversity communities; 2. mobilise taxonomic, ecological, genomic and biomonitoring data generated and curated by natural history collections, research networks and remote sensing sources in Europe; 3. leverage results of ongoing biodiversity informatics projects by identifying and developing functional synergies on individual, group and project level; 4. raise technical awareness and transfer skills between biodiversity researchers and information technologists; 5. formulate a viable roadmap for achieving the long-term goals for European biodiversity informatics, which ensures alignment with global activities and translates into efficient biodiversity policy

Results from the European carbon labelling initiative CO2 Star

Today, passenger cars alone are responsible for around 12% of European CO 2 emissions. An opportunity to reduce CO 2 emissions in transport is provided by the use of biofuels with beneficial life cycle CO 2 emissions. The Carbon Labelling project (Project No. EIE/06/015) promotes the use of biofuels by implementing different labelling initiatives in Europe and applying the developed carbon label "CO 2Star" to biodiesel, efficient lubricants and biofuel based freight services. In a first step a supportable methodology for the quantification of carbon life cycle reductions was identified in co-operation with recent and on-going activities and methodologies by European and worldwide expert groups such as SenterNovem (NL), ifeu Institute (DE) and Imperial College (UK). In a second step the Carbon Labelling initiative actively promoted this carbon reduction to consumers. Finally, a consumer survey was conducted in order to assess the success of this initiative and the acceptance of GHG labels. This paper gives an overview about the current discussion on carbon reductions in the transport sector, different GHG calculation methodologies, and about the results of the 'Carbon Labelling' project which is supported by the Intelligent Energy Europe Programme.peer-reviewe

Semantics in Support of Biodiversity Knowledge Discovery: An Introduction to the Biological Collections Ontology and Related Ontologies

The study of biodiversity spans many disciplines and includes data pertaining to species distributions and abundances, genetic sequences, trait measurements, and ecological niches, complemented by information on collection and measurement protocols. A review of the current landscape of metadata standards and ontologies in biodiversity science suggests that existing standards such as the Darwin Core terminology are inadequate for describing biodiversity data in a semantically meaningful and computationally useful way. Existing ontologies, such as the Gene Ontology and others in the Open Biological and Biomedical Ontologies (OBO) Foundry library, provide a semantic structure but lack many of the necessary terms to describe biodiversity data in all its dimensions. In this paper, we describe the motivation for and ongoing development of a new Biological Collections Ontology, the Environment Ontology, and the Population and Community Ontology. These ontologies share the aim of improving data aggregation and integration across the biodiversity domain and can be used to describe physical samples and sampling processes (for example, collection, extraction, and preservation techniques), as well as biodiversity observations that involve no physical sampling. Together they encompass studies of: 1) individual organisms, including voucher specimens from ecological studies and museum specimens, 2) bulk or environmental samples (e.g., gut contents, soil, water) that include DNA, other molecules, and potentially many organisms, especially microbes, and 3) survey-based ecological observations. We discuss how these ontologies can be applied to biodiversity use cases that span genetic, organismal, and ecosystem levels of organization. We argue that if adopted as a standard and rigorously applied and enriched by the biodiversity community, these ontologies would significantly reduce barriers to data discovery, integration, and exchange among biodiversity resources and researchers

Editorial: Oceanobs'19: An ocean of opportunity

The OceanObs conferences are held once every 10 years for the scientific, technical, and operational communities involved in the planning, implementation, and use of ocean observing systems. They serve to communicate progress, promote plans, and to define advances in ocean observing in response to societies' needs. Each conference provides a forum for the community to review the state of the ocean observing science and operations, and to define goals and plans to achieve over the next decade

Aligning Standards Communities for Omics Biodiversity Data: Sustainable Darwin Core-MIxS Interoperability

The standardization of data, encompassing both primary and contextual information (metadata), plays a pivotal role in facilitating data (re-)use, integration, and knowledge generation. However, the biodiversity and omics communities, converging on omics biodiversity data, have historically developed and adopted their own distinct standards, hindering effective (meta)data integration and collaboration.In response to this challenge, the Task Group (TG) for Sustainable DwC-MIxS Interoperability was established. Convening experts from the Biodiversity Information Standards (TDWG) and the Genomic Standards Consortium (GSC) alongside external stakeholders, the TG aimed to promote sustainable interoperability between the Minimum Information about any (x) Sequence (MIxS) and Darwin Core (DwC) specifications.To achieve this goal, the TG utilized the Simple Standard for Sharing Ontology Mappings (SSSOM) to create a comprehensive mapping of DwC keys to MIxS keys. This mapping, combined with the development of the MIxS-DwC extension, enables the incorporation of MIxS core terms into DwC-compliant metadata records, facilitating seamless data exchange between MIxS and DwC user communities.Through the implementation of this translation layer, data produced in either MIxS- or DwC-compliant formats can now be efficiently brokered, breaking down silos and fostering closer collaboration between the biodiversity and omics communities. To ensure its sustainability and lasting impact, TDWG and GSC have both signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on creating a continuous model to synchronize their standards. These achievements mark a significant step forward in enhancing data sharing and utilization across domains, thereby unlocking new opportunities for scientific discovery and advancement